


Like A Heartstring, Duck For Cover

by LaMaupin



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 15:11:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2029785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaMaupin/pseuds/LaMaupin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Margaery still saw the pain of wounds barely healed in her eyes at times and didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize what they had built, even if that meant living with the pain of being in love with her best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like A Heartstring, Duck For Cover

It was a warm summer night, and by all rights Margaery knew that she should be enjoying it, but the night was tinged with nostalgia and a hint of sadness. Even with Sansa by her side, belting out Disney songs at the top of their lungs as they walked home across campus, occasionally reminding one another that they were in fact adults with college degrees, Margaery couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the last time that she would see her friend like this: so happy and carefree, slightly tipsy from her own going away party, the stresses of the day forgotten. 

Theirs was an easy friendship, built on late nights drinking wine in their shared apartment, watching bad rom-coms together when one of them had had a bad day, and avoiding studying by sitting on each others beds talking about everything and nothing. Margaery would be lying if she thought that she hadn’t wanted more, that she didn’t feel a twinge of jealously whenever Sansa pointed out someone she found attractive, that she was never tempted to reach out and kiss Sansa and never let her go.

But Margaery never pushed, never asked, because she had been there for the bad times too, and she knew that their friendship was more important than any other feelings she might have, or at least that was what she told herself. She had seen how thoroughly Joffrey had broken Sansa, sitting up nights trying to calm panic attacks, her heart breaking to see how much pain she was in. She had been there when Sansa had found out about her father’s death, watching as she withdrew into herself, rarely talking to anybody except her family for almost a year. And even though the last two years had returned some semblance of normalcy, and Sansa finally seemed happy again, laughing with an ease that Margaery hadn’t seen since they were freshmen together in the dorms, Margaery still saw the pain of wounds barely healed in her eyes at times and didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize what they had built, even if that meant living with the pain of being in love with her best friend.

But now everything was changing, their last summer together was nearly over, and Margaery couldn’t help but feel like her life would never be so full as it was in this place, with Sansa by her side. Tomorrow Sansa’s brothers were coming to pack up her things and help her move to Nashville, where she had a two year Teach For America contract to teach English to middle schoolers. And a week after that Margaery herself was moving to Philadelphia to start work as a botanist at the Longwood Gardens. She knew they would stay in touch, they had been through too much together not to, but it would never be the same. A small part of her welcomed the separation, hoping that it would finally allow her to move on, to find somebody who could love her back, but mostly she wanted their last night together to last forever, tomorrow never coming with its promise of a future she wasn’t sure she wanted.

They lingered in front of their building, as if going inside would hasten tomorrow and the inevitable goodbyes that they both wished would never come. It was quiet here, far enough off campus to avoid the usual Friday night rowdiness, and the night was still enough that they could forget themselves for a moment. Margaery looked up at Sansa, feeling the tension of all the could have beens, and wondering if this was truly better. 

“I’m glad we’re friends,” Sansa said, startling Margaery out of her reverie. 

“Me too,” she replied, wondering if saying it out loud could make it true.

“I really mean it,” Sansa said, and Margaery saw a sincerity in her eyes that reminded her of just how much she loved Sansa Stark. “Being friends with you, it changed everything…it saved my life, and that has to be worth something, no matter what happens.”

Margaery didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t have the words to express what that meant to her, what Sansa meant to her, so she ignored every shred of sense she had and kissed Sansa. It was a soft, almost chaste kiss, and while Sansa was clearly surprised, she didn’t pull away. Margaery made herself pull back while she still could, not wanting to spoil what they had. They stood there in the semi-darkness for a long time, bodies close, faces almost touching. She wished they could stay like that forever.

“We could have been great.” Margaery could feel the sadness in her voice, and fought to keep what composure she had left, refusing to spoil whatever this was.

“I know,” Sansa said, a sad smile on her face. Margaery’s heart broke. It broke for everything that might have been and all the things they could never have. It broke because what they had was enough, it was perfect in its own way, but endings never came easily. It broke tomorrow Sansa was leaving and she didn’t know when they would see each other again.

Sansa took her hand and lead her inside, and she knew that she was ready to face tomorrow, whatever it might bring.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song "It Hurts" by Bad Bad Hats
> 
> I think of the setting at a university in the NE United States, but it could really be set just about anywhere in the US.


End file.
